Palace disputes Earl Spencer's Diana memoir

Buckingham Palace has forcefully rejected a claim made by Earl Spencer in his forthcoming memoir about his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales. The Palace stated it does not comment on books as a principle but felt compelled to respond to the allegation that King Charles, then Prince of Wales, told Earl Spencer in 1997 "we'll forget her soon enough."

The Palace's unusually strong statement suggested grief can affect memory. His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss, it said, according to a BBC report. This language echoes the late Queen Elizabeth's 2021 response to claims by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, where she noted "recollections may vary."

The controversial claim

In an excerpt published by the Daily Mail, Earl Spencer writes that the then-Prince of Wales subjected him to a "stream of anger after Spencer insisted Diana would not have wanted her sons, Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk in her funeral procession. Earl Spencer claims Charles said, Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough. The Palace and the King's former communications secretary, Julian Payne, have pushed back against this account. Payne told reporters the alleged comments were just not language that I recognise."

A crowded royal schedule

The dispute emerges on a day packed with royal engagements. King Charles is hosting a summit on artificial intelligence at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. He is expected to warn industry leaders from firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, and Google DeepMind about the need to control the technology's development. The decisions taken at this formative time will shape the world inherited by future generations, he will say, according to the source.

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales, known in Scotland as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, are visiting community projects on the Isle of Bute. Their itinerary includes watching the traditional sport of shinty and visiting a community-owned pub.

Harry's return and royal tensions

Later, Prince Harry will hold his first major public event since returning to the UK, appearing at the inaugural Invictus awards ceremony. The event celebrates injured service personnel. It is not known if his wife, Meghan, will accompany him. Their return has sparked questions about their role, with a recent letter from the King's office clarifying they are not undertaking royal engagements as "private citizens." The source notes this has suggested some tension, following headlines this week about the couple changing their children's school due to security fears.

Earl Spencer's book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due for publication next week. It promises an insider's view of the turbulent period following Diana's death, a time when the Royal Family faced public criticism for a perceived lack of empathy. The Palace's sharp response indicates the sensitivity of these historical accounts.